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Former President George H.W. Bush, center, and former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens pose with former first lady Barbara Bush before an NCAA college baseball game at Minute Maid Park in Houston on March 1. The University of Houston Cougars lost 3-2 to the University of Texas Longhorns.

WASHINGTON — The Bush dynasty may make another run for the White House.

Matriarch Barbara Bush — first lady to one president and mother of a second – sounds like she’s warming to the idea of seeing another son, Jeb Bush, seek the White House, after long resisting.

“Maybe Jeb’s given all he should give, because he’s worked awfully hard for a long time,” she told FOX & Friends in an interview from Houston. “But he is the best qualified person in the country, there’s no question about it. Just put me down as saying that.”

Bush called it hard to endure criticism of the presidents in her life, George H.W. Bush and their son. George W. Bush.

“I’m very proud of George W. I think he did what he thought was right, whether it was politically astute or not. I’m more proud of my husband, because he did what he knew was right. And he knew he would lose the election,” she said.

As for Jeb Bush –a former Florida governor and father of the Texas Republicans’ newly-minted nominee for land commissioner, George P. Bush — Barbara Bush sounded resigned or even a bit enthusiastic to the possibility he’ll run for president in 2016.

“I say in this country, which is such a great country, there are more than three families. Then I read that ‘The Bully Pulpit’ by Doris Kearns Goodwin,” she said. “She points out that in 1700, there were only three families. So maybe it’s OK. It just seems to me ridiculous in a country this size that we didn’t have other families. I mean we’ve got great governors…other people. I just don’t understand it. And maybe Jeb’s given all he should give, because he’s worked awfully hard for a long time. But he is the best qualified person in the country, there’s no question about it.”

Click here for the video, and scroll to the 3:50 mark for her take on a Jeb Bush campaign.

Former U.S. President George W. Bush speaks during a immigration naturalization ceremony held at the George W. Bush Presidential Center on July 10, 2013 in University Park, Texas.

Two Texans — George W. Bush and Ted Cruz — are among the Top 10 men most admired by Americans.

That’s the result of a recent survey from Gallup, which each year asks Americans the open-ended question of which “man and woman living anywhere in the world they admire most.” The top 10 lists are then compiled based on the number of mentions.

Bush, the former president, finished second overall in the male category with 4 percent of mentions. That put him behind only President Barack Obama (16 percent) and tied him with Pope Francis.

Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz says he won't try to block or delay a vote on a bipartisan deal to end the government shutdown.

Aboard Air Force One, former President Bush shows photos of his paintings to, from left, First Lady Michelle Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Valerie Jarrett, National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice, Attorney General Eric Holder and former First Lady Laura Bush, Dec. 9, 2013.

The fan club of painter — nee former president — George W. Bush now extends to the highest levels of the U.S. government.

Bush accompanied President Barack Obama on Air Force One Monday to attend a memorial service in South Africa for Nelson Mandela. During some down time, Bush used an iPad to show off his much-discussed artwork to Attorney General Eric Holder, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and others.

President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush walk to a wreath-laying ceremony at the 1998 Embassy Bombing Memorial at the U.S. Embassy in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, July, 2, 2013.

Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, will travel with the Obamas to South Africa next week to participate in memorial events for that country’s iconic leader Nelson Mandela.

Mandela, South Africa’s first president after apartheid, died Thursday at age 95.

A Bush spokesman said Friday that the Bushes have accepted an invitation to accompany President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, on Air Force One. The news came after the White House announced that the Obamas would go to South Africa to pay their respects.

It’s unclear if the U.S. presidential delegation will attend Mandela’s state funeral on Dec. 15 or a memorial service on Dec. 10, as White House officials haven’t yet released a more detailed travel itinerary.

USA Today’s David Jackson reports that former President Bill Clinton is also expected to attend and that former President Jimmy Carter may also make the trip. Former President George H.W. Bush, who is 89, will not travel to South Africa.

“He bore his burdens with dignity and grace, and our world is better off because of his example,” Bush 43 said in the statement. “This good man will be missed, but his contributions will live on forever.”

Actually, he said party rhetoric is alienating “Tejanos.” That’s his preferred term for Hispanics.

Patterson, the current state land commissioner, said he’s about to launch Tejanos for Patterson. He recently enlisted San Antonio advertising executive Lionel Sosa to produce a campaign video.

Sosa is a top Republican Hispanic strategist who has worked on eight presidential campaigns, most recently that of Newt Gingrich. Earlier, he helped the late U.S. Sen. John Tower win re-election in a 1978 squeaker and coached gubernatorial candidate George W. Bush about Hispanic outreach.

“We need to talk about the things that bind us together,” Patterson said during a live interview in Austin with Texas Tribune editor and chief executive Evan Smith. “We need to talk about our history. If we do that, we can find something that’s common and then we can move forward on the things we need to address, such as immigration.”

In the video Sosa produced, Patterson said he recites nine Hispanic surnames.

“I mention Bowie, Crockett and Travis and then I cite those nine names and I say who are those folks? Those are the nine Tejanos who died at the Alamo fighting for liberty,” he recounted.

Patterson said that in the Rio Grande Valley and far West Texas, Hispanics are as worried as whites are about inadequate U.S. border enforcement. Republican leaders should talk about the coyotes and drug traffickers who are wreaking havoc, he said, “instead of chasing the guy who’s hanging drywall.”

1999 AP photo/Edward A. Ornelas

San Antonio advertising executive Lionel Sosa

Patterson said that in the past, he and his GOP rivals for lieutenant governor – incumbent David Dewhurst, Sen. Dan Patrick and Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples – had few disagreements on illegal immigration. This year, Patrick in particular has tried to paint opponents as weak on the issue, using misstatements, Patterson said.

“On more than one occasion, all four candidates have publicly stated that we cannot deport 12 million illegal aliens,” he said. “All four of us … have stated we need a guest worker program. But you sure as hell wouldn’t know that now.”

On the issue of personal financial disclosure, Patterson, 67, said he wouldn’t release tax returns unless Patrick does. Patterson makes $137,500 a year as land commissioner. He said he also draws a U.S. Marine Corps pension and Social Security.

If elected lieutenant governor, Patterson has said he would begin drawing a state pension he has earned in about two decades of service in the Legislature and as land commissioner.

To fend off Patrick’s charge that he would be “double dipping,” or drawing both a state pension and a state salary at the same time, Patterson said Thursday that he would donate his $7,200 salary as lieutenant governor to charity. He challenged his rivals to do the same. (For background on Patterson and Patrick’s acrimonious exchange about personal finances at a Houston area debate in early October, see this blog post.)

The job of lieutenant governor is full time and the low salary — the same as that for part-time state lawmakers — tends to attract wealthy people, Patterson said.

“I don’t think that’s in the public interest. We need to have more folks in public office, we need more pipefitters and teachers and fewer wealthy” individuals, he said.

The ornament – which features Bush’s painting of a cardinal – is the first reproduction of the former president’s work to be available for purchase, since he wowed the political and art world earlier this year by discussing his newfound love of painting.

The original painting was done for Bush’s friend, former ambassador Warren Tichenor. Bush said his wife, Laura, liked the work’s reds and greens and chose it for their Christmas card and the center’s holiday ornament.

And now the ornament forms a key part of the Bush Center’s big plans to celebrate the holidays with special exhibits, unique programming and new gift and dining options.

David Woo/The Dallas Morning News

Former President George W. Bush painted this Cardinal for Warren Tichenor, Ambassador to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva. It is now for sale at the Bush Presidential Center

“I’m flattered,” the former president said in a YouTube video explaining the painting, which is officially known as “Untitled.” “I hope my painting meets expectations.”

Bush took an interest in art as a post-White House hobby after reading Painting as a Pastime by another famous amateur painter, Winston Churchill. He now paints almost daily and takes lessons once a week from Dallas artist and SMU graduate Gail Norfleet.

The pastime fascinated both Bush’s fans and critics, many of whom clamored for the opportunity to own a “43” painting. And Bush is aware of that keen interest, even giving Jay Leno his painting of the comedian on a recent visit to “The Tonight Show.”

“People are surprised,” he said. “Of course, some people are surprised I can even read.”

The ornament is being sold for $29.98 at the Bush Center’s gift shop – or online at shop.bushpresidentialcenter.com. Anticipating high interest, center officials ordered a large number of ornaments. But supplies are limited.

Other holiday gifts include a Timex watch modeled after the one that Bush wears and a replica of the “Western White House” silk scarf that the Bushes would give to guests at their Crawford ranch in central Texas.

Do Ted Cruz and his Republican supporters not only have their own opinion but also their own facts? Would a default actually stabilize the markets? Is the UN taking over our golf courses? Does everybody in Texas actually have health care? To paraphrase George W. Bush, when nothing is true, everything is true.

A sign on the door of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, which is closed because of the federal government shutdown.

UNIVERSITY PARK — A steady trickle of tourists approached the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on Tuesday, only to find a mostly desolate courtyard and laminated, white signs posted on the front doors.

The signs read: “We apologize for the inconvenience, but due to the Federal Government shutdown the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is CLOSED.”

The Bush Library, part of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, was built by the privately funded George W. Bush Foundation. But it was handed over to the National Archives and Records Administration before it opened to the public in May.

Those ties to the government mean the Bush Library is feeling the impact of the federal shutdown. And that visitors, even those who traveled long distances to see the history of the 43rd presidency, are being turned away.

Alberta Veenstra, 84, flew down from Illinois to tour the Bush Library with her son, Paul, who lives in Plano. It wasn’t until Paul Veenstra received a phone call from a friend – just as he and his mom parked at the center – that they heard about the closure.

The elder Veenstra said she wished she could see the inside, especially since she doesn’t know when she’ll get another chance.

“Its kind of a gyp that you can’t get in,” she said.

But her 60-year-old son said that in scheme of things, he doesn’t “give a damn” about missing a museum visit. He said the inconvenience was worth it, if it means Republicans are successful in getting rid of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

“If it takes 100 days to do it, it’s the right thing to do,” said the younger Veenstra, referring to the budget dispute that’s set off the shutdown. “If this is what it takes for people to wake up and listen to what this administration is doing, then this is good.”

Other parts of the Bush Center – still operated by the Bush Foundation – aren’t affected by the shutdown.

So the George W. Bush Institute, a policy think tank, remained open. As did the center’s main eatery, Café 43. As did the center’s gift store, where an open door enticed confused visitors to come over and seek more information.

Asked if the gift store had been busy, an employee smiled and responded, “Yes and no.”

Original post: The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum could close next week if Congress doesn’t reach a budget deal before Tuesday and avert a government shutdown.

Bush Library officials said they are still waiting for guidelines on what exactly would happen in the event of a federal shutdown. And lawmakers still have time to render the discussion moot, although Republicans and Democrats seem locked in a stalemate.

But the precedent is there: presidential libraries, which are run by the National Archives and Records Administration, historically have closed when the federal government shuts down.

“If we do close, we’re working on contingency plans,” Bush Library spokesman John Orrell said, adding that more details would be made available on Monday. “But as of right now, a final decision has not been made.”

The Bush Library and Museum, part of the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University, opened to the public in May. More than 170,000 people visited the museum in its first 100 days.

A government shutdown would have a particular impact on the Bush Library and Museum, as it’s unique among presidential libraries in selling advance tickets.

Most visitors purchase their tickets upon arriving at the Bush Center. But 500 to 1,000 people each day get their passes ahead of time. And officials are now looking at how to potentially address those people.

“If we do shut down, how do we work out the refunds?” Orrell said.

The Bush Library and Museum was built by the George W. Bush Foundation, a privately funded nonprofit that also supports the George W. Bush Institute, and then handed over the federal government in late April.

Much of the Bush Center is still operated by the foundation. And that means the center’s main eatery, Café 43, its gift shop and other areas would remain open no matter what. The Bush Institute wouldn’t close, either.

Margaret Spellings, president of Bush Foundation, said her team has been in touch with National Archives officials and that they are also taking a wait-and-see approach. But, she said, “we want to do everything we can to be helpful to them.”

While the debate on the possible shutdown rages in Washington, George W. Bush remains mum on the topic. A Bush spokesman declined to make the former president available Friday to discuss the possible shutdown at Bush’s annual golf tournament in Irving for wounded veterans.

Spellings, however, said she hoped the contingency planning would prove unnecessary.

“Much of this, we’ll cross the bridge when we get to it,” she said. “We remain hopeful that our D.C. policymakers will work through a solution to stay open.”